Steams like a dream!

Not only do I need a good iron for ironing my clothes, but I also do a lot of sewing which requires me to iron extensively. I had an old cheapy iron for years and years because I just could never justify spending the $100 on the Rowenta that I really wanted. So my mom bought me one last Christmas and now I don't know how I ever lived without it.

The features of the Rowenta Professional DX8800 include:

Extra long burst of steam, including vertical steaming
Ergonomic controls
Dry position
Variable steam
Self clean system
Covered filling inlet and a measuring cup to fill it with
3-way auto shut-off (after 8 min when vertical, or 30 sec when tipped or horizontal)
Full comfort handle
Extra large 12.7 oz water tank (uses tap water, not distilled)
Highly polished stainless steel soleplate
Wide steam distribution
and it's anti-drip

My experience with this iron has been great. I have a lot of garments that I need to steam, and I also need to do a lot of steaming when I sew. The vertical steaming ability is something I find I use a lot. It is great when I have something hanging up that I want to get the wrinkles out of, and I also use when I have clothes on my dressform and need to steam something like a sleeve cap or lapel. I love the fact that it uses tap water so I don't have to buy the distilled.

When I switch the iron to the 'dry' position it does not drip any water onto the clothes which is important to me. If I'm ironing a silk blouse and the iron were to drip water it could cause a water spot. Also, I find that the iron is comfortable to hold and use and glides smoothly over the clothes.

The only things that I don't love about it are the weight, it is definitely hefty, and there is a rubber section that comes off the back of the iron covering the beginning of the cord and I find that sometimes when I set the iron down in a vertical position the rubber part sort of can get in the way a little and make it more difficult to set it down. I like the weight when I'm actually ironing, but it does feel a little heavy when with one hand I'm setting it down in the vertical position.

The auto shut-off is something I really don't need but I guess it is nice to have. I was worried that when I sew and keep the iron on so I can use it throughout a project, it would annoy me to have it shutting off every 8 min. But since the iron really stays hot for awhile after it shuts off, it hasn't been a problem.

Overall I'd say this iron was totally worth the $100 my mom spent on it for me. I use the vertical steaming and just the large area of steam it produces all the time. It never drips at all on the dry setting. It feels sturdy and seems like it should last a long time. The couple of minor things I don't love about it really aren't an issue.